Glossy All-Purpose Gochujang Sauce

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Straight-from-the-tub gochujang is a paste, not a sauce — thick, raw-tasting and one-note salty-sweet. This is the version Korean kitchens actually serve: the paste gets briefly toasted in garlic-and-ginger oil, loosened with water and rice vinegar, then simmered until it turns deep brick red and glossy enough to coat a spoon. Sweet, savoury, funky and properly hot, it works as a wing glaze, a bibimbap spoonful, a dip for fried chicken or grilled pork, or thinned into a salad dressing. Makes about 1½ cups and keeps for weeks.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola
• 6 cloves garlic, finely minced (about 2 tbsp)
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
• 2 scallions, white and pale green parts thinly sliced (greens reserved)
• 1 tsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes), optional for extra heat

• 3/4 cup gochujang (Korean fermented chili paste)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tbsp dark brown sugar, packed
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp mirin, optional

• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tsp rice vinegar, for finishing

• 1 small heavy-bottomed saucepan (2-quart)

Instructions

1. Set a 2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat and add the 2 tablespoons neutral oil. When it shimmers, add the minced garlic, grated ginger and sliced scallion whites. Cook, stirring almost constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant and softened but with no colour at all — browned garlic will make the finished sauce bitter.
2. If using gochugaru, add it now and stir for 20 to 30 seconds, just until the oil turns bright red and smells toasty. Keep the heat low; chili flakes scorch in seconds.
3. Add the gochujang and stir it into the aromatic oil until no lumps remain. Cook over medium-low, stirring continuously and scraping the bottom, for 2 to 3 minutes. The paste will darken slightly, tighten and start to smell nutty and roasted rather than raw — this step is what separates sauce from paste.
4. Pour in the water while whisking, then add the honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, the 3 tablespoons rice vinegar and the mirin, if using. Whisk until completely smooth.
5. Bring to a bare simmer (small lazy bubbles, about 200°F). Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, whisking every 30 seconds or so, until the sauce is glossy, deep brick red, and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and hold a line when you drag a finger through it. It should reduce to roughly 1½ cups. If it spits, lower the heat — sugar and chili paste catch easily.
6. Remove from the heat. Stir in the toasted sesame oil, sesame seeds and the final teaspoon of rice vinegar. Taste: add another teaspoon of honey if your gochujang is aggressively salty, or another splash of vinegar if it tastes flat.
7. Cool for at least 20 minutes — the sauce thickens noticeably as it drops to room temperature. Stir in the reserved sliced scallion greens just before serving, or leave them out if you plan to store the sauce. Transfer to a clean jar.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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